The present invention relates generally to the art of ladders and, in particular, to ladders which may be folded to facilitate portability and storage.
As can well be imagined, the design and construction of ladders, in one form or another, may be included among man's oldest technological arts. Notwithstanding centuries of experimentation in this field, however, man has failed to arrive at the "ultimate" ladder: a ladder which may be extended by any number of available sections to reach any desired height; a ladder which may be opened into the "step-ladder" configuration; a ladder which may be stood securely on irregular surfaces or be leaned against an upright surface of any shape without deleterious effect on its stability; a ladder which may be folded to form a single pole which may be easily carried or stored; a ladder which provides non-slip surfaces and human-engineered handrails for safety and convenience of use; and, finally, a ladder which may be manufactured and sold in identical modular sections that can be assembled together to fulfill all of the user's needs, including needs that have never been met before.